A Summer's Tale
by YouKissedMeFirstSweetheart
Summary: A short story set during Pacey and Joey's sailing trip during the summer before their senior year.


A Summer's Tale.

Joey fell into Pacey, it was easy, as easy breathing, and she had long stopped being hesitant about letting herself go like that. Having Pacey's arms wrapped around her felt natural, it felt right, and it felt simple. It was never like that with Dawson, everything was always excessively complicated, and everything always had to be overanalyzed with psychobabble in order to avoid ever actually revealing how they were really feeling. But out here on the ocean, being held by Pacey as True Love gently rocked with the underlying water, she felt alive, she felt safe, and she felt something rare; she felt completely happy, a feeling that could only be evoked by Pacey. "What're you thinking about? Daydreaming about a very handsome man, holding you in his arms as his boat sails the seven seas?" Pacey asked implying himself flatteringly as he kissed Joey's temple. "As a matter of fact, I was. He was a ruggedly handsome six ft. four Greek God type with an impressively sized yacht." Joey answered teasingly, her sarcasm captured in her smile. "Oh so you _were_ daydreaming about me, just as I suspected." Pacey replied. Joey's laugh slipped out of her mouth, Pacey had won this round of their endless banter battles.

"But really Jo, where were you just now?" Pacey asked suddenly genuine. Joey sensed the sincerity in his question and decided to answer him honestly, without the sarcastic façade. "I was right here Pace, and I was happy, I was really truly, perfectly happy." Joey replied earnestly.

"Ah, miss Josephine Potter, how do you expect to say things like that without getting kissed?" Pacey asked mockingly.

"Who says I wasn't expecting a kiss? I don't just say things like that for free."

"Oh really? You know soliciting kisses is illegal in various parts of the world." Pacey laughed as he pressed his check against Joey's.

"Well." Joey said, turning her head to face Pacey, "even though we are in open waters, will you bail me out of jail if I'm arrested?" Joey asked teasingly as she parted her lips and moved closer into Pacey.

"Definitely." Pacey replied as Joey closed the gap between them, meeting his lips quickly, kissing him sweetly and then passionately, causing both of them to lose themselves in each other, becoming more and more entwined. Their arms, their hands, their fingers, becoming interlocked as they kissed. Joey let go of Pacey's hands and began running hers through his hair, down his neck, grasping at his shirt and his back. As Pacey began to do the same, Joey started pulling away.  
"Pacey." She whispered knowingly.

"Don't say it Potter, don't you dare." Pacey replied between kisses. So she didn't say it, and they continued on with their hormonal teenage gravitational pull towards each other and they rolled right out of the hammock and fell hard on the floor.  
"Ow. Okay Pacey, time to slow it down a little."

"Boy, you sure know how to kill the mood don't you?"

"I believe that was the hammock tossing us off. It was getting pretty heated Pace, as you'll be able to tell from the bruise that will appear on my shoulder." Joey said rubbing the part of her shoulder that had bore the majority of the impact. Pacey lightly kissed Joey's shoulder. "We should try and keep it paced, Pace."

"You kissed me first sweetheart." Pacey answered endearingly.

"I know but-"

"I know Jo, it was my fault, I'm just too enticing, who could blame you for not being able to keep your hands off me? It's a blessing and a curse really, being this irresistible." Pacey said standing up, and helping Joey back onto the hammock. He kissed the top of her head and went up above deck. Joey gazed after him longingly as he left, feeling nothing but love for the boy who drove her crazy for her entire life, the boy who still drove her crazy, but in a different way. She could not believe how understanding he was; this was Pacey, the eternal impatient twelve year old, who had somehow stolen her heart. However, she also could not believe how lucky she was that Pacey was who he was, and that she had found him, and she was going to keep him, you don't let go of someone like that. Someone patient, who didn't have one complaint about waiting for her; he just understood without a word why she wasn't ready. Joey Potter did not believe boys like this existed, yet here was Pacey, being told to stop kissing her, after she started kissing him, taking the blame willingly so she wouldn't feel an ounce of guilt. Joey swung herself out of the hammock and followed where Pacey had gone, and found him working on raising the sail. She walked over and started helping him.

"We're about five hours away from the closest port" Pacey stated matter of factly.

"Good. We could really use some more food around here."

"There's plenty of fish in the sea."

"We could really use some more real food around here."

"Well, you could really use more clothes."

"Well, that's expected since I spontaneously jumped on this love boat and fulfilled the cliché of sailing away with you into the sunset, however, without a suitcase. Anyway, aren't teenage boys supposed to want girls to have less clothes?"

"Well, I'm just not the type of guy that's okay with sitting by and watching you commit such crimes of fashion. You know law enforcement runs in my blood."

"Ah, my boyfriend, officer Pacey, a committed and diligent member of the fashion police. My hero." Joey said, displaying her god given talent with sarcasm.

"Well miss Potter, someone's gotta do the job, and who better than me?"

"Anyone." Mumbled Joey.

"Oh, you really think so huh? Well, I'm afraid taunting an officer of the fashion industry is a punishable offense. So you're going to pay for that snarky little comment miss." Pacey said threateningly as he dropped the sail and started to chase Joey down the deck.

"No, no, no, Pacey don't" Joey screamed as she ran down to the end of the deck.

"You've got no where left to run miss Potter." Pacey said, and he charged at Joey picking her up and swinging her up into his arms. Joey screamed as Pacey suggestively leaned over the side of the boat, swinging Joey over the ocean.

"Don't you dare drop me Pacey Whitter, or you'll regret it. YOU WILL REGRET IT PACEY!" Joey screamed as she gripped onto Pacey, holding on for dear life.

"What's the problem Jo? I thought you could swim."

"If I'm going in, I'm taking you with me!"

"Okay." Answered Pacey and he jumped into the ocean, Joey still cradled in his arms.

"Pacey! We're going to lose the boat." Joey gasped, horrified.

"She's not "the boat" she's the True Love, and we're not going to lose her, she's anchored down."

"You planned this. Pacey Whitter you-"

"I'm going to stop you there Jo before you say something that isn't very PG 13. Yes, I planned to go for a swim, hopefully with you. However, you were the one that committed the crime."

"Still." Joey said as she jumped up and pushed Pacey under the water.

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be." Pacey retorted as he started splashing water at Joey. As Joey started splashing him back, and the water frolicking ensued, it was a little while before they noticed they'd floated away from the boat.

"Pacey, the current, we're being pulled away, and I swear to god, if this turns into a Jaws thing I will never forgive you for causing my movie-esque death scene. That's more something I would expect from-" Joey trailed off knowing that finishing that sentence wouldn't be the best way to avoid a fight.

"Yeah you're right, we should head back." Pacey replied alarmingly sincere. They swam back to the boat and Pacey helped Joey onto the True Love. As Pacey climbed back on board, Joey turned to him and said, "Pace, I didn't mean anything by that, it was just where my mind went, I mean the open ocean makes you think of Jaws, Jaws is Spielberg, and Spielberg is, well, you know." Joey said defensively.

"That's the problem Joey, not that you thought of Dawson, the fact that you're hesitant to say his name, hesitant to even think about him, let alone admit it, and when you do, you feel guilty, and get awkward. When you act like that it makes me feel like you regret your decision, like you wish you hadn't spontaneously joined me on my expedition." Pacey replied honestly, and clearly upset.

"Pacey, sometimes I do feel guilty when I think of Dawson, of the way that everything unfolded. But you listen to me Whitter, I do not, for one second, feel guilty for leaving, I do not regret jumping on board this boat and sailing off into the sunset with you." Joey replied in defense.

"It just feels like sometimes you'd rather be at home with Dawson."

"Well Pace, I wouldn't. I didn't jump on a boat with Dawson, I didn't run away to spend my summer with Dawson, and it wasn't Dawson's arms I was lying in today feeling completely safe, and perfectly happy Pacey, I'm pretty sure that was you. Dawson isn't here Pace, can we please not let the idea of him loom over our heads and ruin our days? I'm happy, and I haven't felt like this in, I don't remember how long it's been since I've felt like this, if ever. So please don't take this away from me by getting upset about a person who isn't even here, and that we don't even have to see or deal with. Please Pace." Joey pleaded sincerely. Pacey looked down into Joey's eyes and then rested his forehead on hers as he gently ran his fingers up and down her arms, before pulling her into an embrace.

"I'm sorry Jo. I'm sorry I'm so insecure about this, it's just-"

I know Pace, I know." Joey said cutting him off while caressing his neck.

"The best thing that ever happened to me was you deciding to board True Love Jo." Admitted Pacey.

"It was the best decision I ever made Pace." Replied Joey.


End file.
